During the first joint address to Congress of his second term, Donald Trump said his administration is “just getting started”. He promised reciprocal tariffs on April 2nd, claiming they protect America’s “soul”, after his administration heightened trade tensions by enacting tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China earlier in the day. Mr Trump also claimed he had received a letter from Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, indicating that the invaded country was ready to sign a minerals deal. Many Democrats held protest signs during the speech while Al Green, a Democratic representative from Texas, was ejected from the chamber for heckling.
Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, attempted to mend relations with America after Donald Trump suspended military aid to the country. Mr Zelensky seemingly denied Mr Trump’s accusations that Ukraine was not “ready for peace” and reiterated his offer to strike a minerals deal with America. Earlier Marco Rubio, America’s secretary of state, said squeezing Ukraine could “get the Russians to a negotiating table”.
The parties negotiating Germany’s next coalition government said they had agreed to set up a €500bn ($530bn) debt-financed fund for infrastructure. The conservative Christian Democratic alliance and the Social Democrats also plan to exempt defence spending above 1% of GDP from Germany’s deficit-limiting debt brake. The outgoing parliament will vote on the deal, which requires a two-thirds majority, this month.
Arab states endorsed a $53bn plan for the administration and reconstruction of post-war Gaza. The plan, which was unveiled by Egypt and discussed at the Arab League Summit in Cairo, offers an alternative to Mr Trump’s suggestion that America “develop” the enclave into the “Riviera of the Middle East”. Palestinians would not be forced out of the war-ravaged enclave under Egypt’s proposal, unlike America’s.
China set an annual growth target of 5% for 2025. The figure, which is consistent with the past two years and in line with analysts’ forecasts, defies trade tensions with America and domestic economic malaise. The country also raised the headline budget deficit target from 3% to 4% of GDP and announced plans to increase its defence budget by 7.2%.
CK Hutchison, a Hong Kong-based firm, agreed to sell two ports along the Panama Canal to a group of investors led by BlackRock, an American asset manager, for more than $20bn. The companies announced the deal amid reports that Panama was considering cancelling CK Hutchison’s contract under pressure from Mr Trump. America’s president has baselessly claimed that the waterway is controlled by China.
In their bid to revive the woolly mammoth, scientists at Colossal Biosciences, an American biotech firm, genetically engineered a new species: the woolly mouse. The company hopes the first mammoth calf will be born by 2029. Woolly mice are defined by dense, golden fur rather than long tusks. Their cuteness “was the main unintended consequence” of their creation, said the company’s boss.
Figure of the day: 65m, the number of tourists who visited New York in 2024—the second-highest number in the city’s history. Read the full story.
Donald Trump’s return to the presidency has brought exceptional changes to American politics—with consequences for the rest of the world, too. Read The US in brief, a daily update of the domestic political stories that matter. Sign up here to receive it as a newsletter, each weekday, in your inbox.